Israeli ambassador lauds Chinese diplomat in S.F.

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren joined 250 other guests in San Francisco last week to honor Feng-Shan Ho, a Chinese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren and a slide of the late Chinese diplomat Feng-Shan Ho

Oren and the others attended the June 7 opening of the photo exhibit “Wings of the Phoenix: Dr. Feng-Shan Ho and the Rescue of Austrian Jews” at the Chinese Historical Society of America on Clay Street. The exhibit is part of the monthlong Israel China Cultural Festival in San Francisco.

Ho, who died in 1997, was consul general of the Chinese embassy in Vienna from 1938-1940. He was named Righteous Among the Nations by Israel in 2000.

The opening also was attended by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee; David Chiu, president of the S.F. Board of Supervisors; Gao Zhansheng, consul general of the People’s Republic of China; Akiva Tor, S.F.-based consul general of Israel; and Manli Ho, the late diplomat’s daughter.

The Israel China Cultural Festival includes events through July 2. The exhibit, which is free, will be on display until July 1. For more information, visit http://www.israelchinasf.com.